Hi Steve, thanks for the welcome and the info! I will definitely be hiring a pond specialist to tell me what I can and shouldn't do. The main reason for the island, is I promised my daughter we would have an island, and could put a zip line that goes over to it, haha! I am not too worried about mowing it. I have some kayaks, so worst case scenario, it will be small enough that I can just paddle the weed eater over there if needed.

For the depth, I was wanting to go with the 35 foot range not as an average, just at least one spot that deep. I am scuba certified, and want the rest of the family to be as well. It would be awesome if we could dive in our own pond, just for the heck of it. The "normal" training depth for beginners is between 25-30 feet, and I would probably build an small (10' x 10') underwater deck in that area. I didn't even think about the possibility of a thermocline though, so the rest of the lake can vary but average around 12-15 feet. Again, I will definitely get with a professional, and take their advice over my desires, haha!